


A Moment's Mistake

by ImagineBeatles



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 17:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15538869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineBeatles/pseuds/ImagineBeatles
Summary: It was bound to happen someday with how close they always are when they share a mic, and how easy it is for them to simply let it happen.





	A Moment's Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr

It had happened so suddenly. He hadn’t meant to do it. Of course, he hadn’t. He wasn’t stupid. Only, he had been so caught up in the moment, singing _that_ with – and to – John with all his heart and passion as they shared a mic, fans screaming in his ear, that he hadn’t noticed just how close he and John had been and how close their lips had been. It hadn’t been completely his fault. John could have noticed, he could’ve said something – _anything_ – and could have done something to stop it. But he hadn’t.

His lips were warm against his own, wet with sweat and saliva. He could feel the blood pulse through them. John’s breath tasted of beer and cigarettes on his tongue; it was intoxicating and for a moment all of Paul’s thoughts were cut off. He simply felt and tasted, and it was _good_.

But then – it couldn’t last longer than a second or two – he realised what he was doing. And to whom. And where. He pulled away in shock, eyes snapping open and meeting John’s, who looked just as shocked and surprised as him. Around them everyone was quiet. George and Ringo had stopped playing, and for once the audience had gone completely silent, all staring at what the two front men had been doing – to each other no less.

Paul didn’t know what to do, what to say, or how to act. John still hadn’t said a word and neither had anyone else. He didn’t know how long they stood like that, only staring at each other in shock, but soon whispers started to roam through the audience and Paul couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped away, turned on his heels and made a run for it, throwing his bass aside, which clattered on the floor. He didn’t look back, he only ran. No one stopped him, they only stared. Paul fought away the tears, thinking that he had ruined it all. The band, their careers, his life… he would go to prison – chemical castration to cure him was something he so much as refused to consider – and everyone would hate him. And John…

Suddenly, he felt a hand wrap itself around his wrist, pulling him back, but Paul started to violently struggle, trying to get pull himself free. The hand around his wrist was too firm, too strong, and Paul had little will left in him to fight. He fell to the ground, his knees being too weak, and fought away the tears. He tried to shout, tried to get the other person to leave him alone, but the man refused.

“Paul…” he merely said, and Paul’s body froze as he recognised the man’s voice.

“Go away, John!” he shouted, but John shook his head and knelt down beside the trembling young man and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not leaving you, Paul.”

“They are going to hate me, John. They are going to think I’m a disgusting pervert. They’ll… they’ll…” his voice broke off with a sob, fear of what people might do to him clouding over his usually rational way of thinking. He felt John’s arm slipping around his shoulder, pulling him to him. He let him, curling up against the older man’s chest, his fingers gripping the lapels of his jacket.

“Paul, love. No one is going to hurt you. I won’t let them. I… we’ll make it, Macca. Like we always do. We’re The Beatles for fuck’s sake! We’ll get through this,” John said, but Paul shook his head.

“They’re going to think we’re a couple of queers, John. You know what they do with a couple of queers like us.”

“You don’t know that, Macca. Times are changing. And we’re going to make sure people change with them.”

“But what if… what if they don’t?” Paul asked, his voice shaking as much as his fingers, as he looked up at John with puffy eyes. John offered him a gentle smile and squeezed his hands in an attempt to sooth him.

“Then they can go fuck themselves, and we’ll buy our own private island to live on, okay? We got away with this stupid Jesus comment, we can get away with this too.”

“Promise?” Paul asked, and he smiled when John nodded.

“I promise,” he said, and ran a loving hand through his lover’s hair. “Now, let’s get out of here and find Brian. He’ll know what to do about this, yeah?” Paul nodded, and slowly the two Beatles got onto their feet, both still shaking. They could hear screaming coming from the direction of the stage, but John quickly took Paul by his hand and started pulling him away from there. Paul meekly followed.

“There’s probably a riot going in there,” he muttered.

“Then we’re going to have fun getting back to the hotel,” John replied with a wink, hoping to put the other man at ease, but Paul only hummed thoughtfully. Quickly, John pulled him in for another kiss, taking Paul by surprise, causing him to moan.

“I promised I wouldn’t let them hurt you, remember?” he said as he pulled away. For a second Paul only stared at him, before his lips finally curled up in a small smile.

“I can take care of myself, you know. I don’t need a strong man to protect me.”

“Oh yes, you’re basically Superman. Now don’t fight it and let Johnny protect his fair lady, yeah?” John joked, and Paul laughed again for the first time.

“You mean Superman,” he replied with a little wink.

“Oh right. Sorry. Let Superman protect his fair lady, yeah?”

“Asshole.”

“I love you too, Macca,” John said, and was just about to start walking again, when Paul kissed him, and this time John kissed back, turning it into a proper kiss, which only broke when both men couldn’t stop themselves from smiling.

“John?” Paul asked as they broke apart, a stupid grin plastered across his pretty face.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” he whispered, but John shook his head.

“You don’t need to say thank you, Paul,” he said, but Paul shrugged.

“I know… but still… thank you,” he repeated, and John couldn’t help but smile broadly.

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s hope Brian won’t have our heads for what we’ve done,” he said with a chuckle, as he started to walk to where he knew Brian would be, genuinely being nervous what their manager would say about what had happened. Paul followed him, and gently nudged his side with his elbow, catching his attention.

“Well,” he said with a cheeky little grin. “Seeing as you’re my strong Superman, you can go in first and protect me.”

John laughed, and nodded. “Of course, my fair lady,” he said, and in reply Paul did a little curtesy, before taking John by the arm and letting him guide him through the halls to Brian’s improvised office. They would make it. And if not… as long as he had John, he would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was graciously imported from tumblr by [CJD](https://chut-je-dors.tumblr.com/) who is a good friend and overall pretty amazing. Suck it, Puck


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